Burkina Faso's TV comedy series set to re-entertain the stressed peopleBurkina Faso's most loved comedy series is set to return to the TV screens to keep on providing entertainment that people had missed.
by Agence France-Presse
05-07-2023 13:08
in Entertainment
Burkina Faso's most loved comedy series is set to return to the TV screens to keep on providing entertainment that people had missed. Image by gettyimages.com
Your country is one of the poorest in the world, battered by a bloody jihadist insurgency and last year underwent two military coups. So, if you are a citizen of Burkina Faso, what can you do?
--
Well, instead of plunging into despair, you can turn to the safety valve of laughter making light of some of the country's many problems. Just in time, one of the Sahel nation's best-loved comedy series is set to return to the TV screens to provide precisely that kind of therapy. Bienvenue a Kikideni ( Welcome to Kikideni ) follows the rivalries between a village leader, an imam and a priest, using their squabbles to provide a gently satirical take on insecurity, religious fundamentalism, pandemics, tolerance, feminism and other sensitive issues.
ALSO READ: Burkina Faso attack: atleast 15 killed, local sources reveal
Themes are addressed in a comic tone It lays bare the facts of society, said actor and director Aminata Diallo-Glez. But these themes are always addressed in a comic tone, with a lot of humour in there. Kikideni began life in 2005 under the title of Three Men, One Village, and came back for a second series five years later.
--
It returns for a third series of 20 26-minute episodes and true to type, making the show has been affected by the security crisis. Diallo-Glez admitted she was very moved to be completing the project. Before, we used to shoot in Ziniare 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of the capital Ouagadougou and sleep there. But we can't do that anymore, she said. We then looked for a village, Wanvouss, fairly close to Ouagadougou, which met the requirements for a set in a somewhat rural environment.
The three characters at the heart of the plot bicker over their differences but always find a way of co-existing, said Ildevert Meda, who plays the role of Kikideni's priest. It's daily life with big human rivalries, said Meda. But at the same time, we show that being different is not a hindrance but an advantage. We show that contradiction is possible and that you can live in peace and social cohesion, he added. People identify with it because it's so human.
ALSO READ: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger's residents need humanitarian aid
--
Burkina Faso's security crisis Some of the humour touches delicately on the country's deep security problems. Since jihadists swept in from neighbouring Mali in 2015, more than 10,000 people have died, according to an NGO count, while at least two million have been displaced. More than a third of the country lies outside the government's control. In one episode, the village debates whether it should mount a collective defence against the insurgents.
The imam pumped up, declares rather ludicrously, My fists alone are enough to deter any enemy a discreet reference to the junta's announcement in April of general mobilisation against the violence. The imam is played by Rasmane Ouedraogo, a 70-year-old actor who in real life is a member of a civilian militia, the Volunteers for Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), which supports security operations against the jihadists.
ALSO READ: Burkina Faso says 50 jihadists killed in attack on convoy
Filming for the third series is set to finish at the end of July. The show will be broadcast on Canal+ and Burkina Faso public television in early 2024, according to the production company. Ouedraogo said the show was popular in other African countries but its theme of people rubbing along despite their differences would resonate further afield. All the problems raised here are ultimately universal problems, Ouedraogo said. Whether it's in Europe, the Americas or Africa, it's the big question of today: how do we live together?
ab/lcm/ri/bp
Agence France-Presse
Are you a true Skeem Saam soapie fan? ENTER our quiz and WIN R1 000 in cash!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
Burkina Faso's TV comedy series set to re-entertain the stressed peopleBurkina Faso's most loved comedy series is set to return to the TV screens to keep on providing entertainment that people had missed.
